This invention relates to a method for controlling the build-up of slag on the interior walls of incinerators during operation for burning garbage, medical wastes, sewer disposal plant sludge, and similar waste materials. More particularly, the invention relates to the method of controlling slag build-up in waste burning incinerators, including medical waste burners, and the like, by the addition of a melting point enhancing agent to the waste material to be burned.
With the ever increasing volume of solid waste being generated by the citizenry in the course of daily living, the diminishing availability of land-fill area for disposal, and enhanced concern about the long-term environmental effects of land-fill disposal, the problem of disposition of solid waste has reached caustic proportions. Disposal of medical wastes present particular problems for the avoidance of health hazard. More and more incineration is being looked upon as the preferred method of disposal. It is environmentally sound. Incinerators may be located close to the source of waste. The heat produced may be sold, or utilized to generate electricity for which there is a ready market, to reduce the cost of waste disposal.
However, it has been found that a tenaciously adhering glossy slag quickly builds up on the inside walls of the combustion chamber. Dependent upon the nature of the waste being burned, slag formation commonly results during one to two weeks of normal operation. Metal contaminants, such as aluminum, silicon and sodium, oxidize in the burning process forming compounds whose melting points are less than the temperatures required by law to be maintained to assure destruction of dioxins. These molten oxides reach the cooler furnace surfaces, solidify, and form tightly bound slag which chokes off the furnace and requires shut-down of the incinerator. Harsh and expensive cleaning procedures are needed to remove the slag before normal operation can be resumed.